Neuroanatomical changes observed over the course of a human pregnancy
Pregnancy is a period of profound hormonal and physiological changes experienced by millions of women annually, yet the neural changes unfolding in the maternal brain throughout gestation are not well studied in humans. Leveraging precision imaging, we mapped neuroanatomical changes in an individual from preconception through 2 years postpartum. Pronounced decreases in gray matter volume and cortical thickness were evident across the brain, standing in contrast to increases in white matter microstructural integrity, ventricle volume and cerebrospinal fluid, with few regions untouched by the transition to motherhood. This dataset serves as a comprehensive map of the human brain across gestation, providing an open-access resource for the brain imaging community to further explore and understand the maternal brain.
Authors
- Joshua Faskowitz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1814-7206)
- Laura Pritschet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4701-1017)
- Tyler Santander (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9459-5783)
- Hannah Grotzinger (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6288-6690)
- Emily Goard Jacobs (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0001-5096)
- Daniel A. Handwerker (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7261-4042)
- Daniela Cossio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1625-8044)
- Evan Layher (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7215-5077)
- Elizabeth R. Chrastil (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2544-0152)
- Caitlin M. Taylor (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4707-9919)
Institutions
- National Institutes of Health (US)
- University of California, Santa Barbara (US)
- University of California, Irvine (US)
- National Institute of Mental Health (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Neuroscience
- Published
- 2024-09-16
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-024-01741-0
- Citations
- 111
- Primary Topic
- Anesthesia and Neurotoxicity Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 45.63
Funders
- National Institutes of Health
- University of California, Santa Barbara
- University of California, Irvine
- National Institute on Aging
- National Institute of Mental Health